In January 2018, Rachel Palma started noticing her body wasn’t working quite right. Her mind wasn’t functioning properly, and she would suddenly drop items she was holding. “My right hand would just give way,” she tells Health.
Additionally, she started hallucinating and having nightmares. “I would not know where I was at times. I was in and out. I couldn’t find the words to communicate,” Palma says. “I showed up at work without my uniform, [and] I’ve been there five years. Two hours later everything would be fine.”
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He explains that the tapeworm formerly in Palma’s brain can be found in pork. If you only eat pork in the US, you don't have to worry about picking up a tapeworm. But the parasite can be found in the food supply in other countries, which is why experts advise avoiding raw meat while traveling overseas.
Luckily, neurocysticercosis isn't treated with surgery. Palma took antibiotics, and she's now parasite-free.
Dr. Rasouli says his team still isn’t sure how Palma picked up the tapeworm. Palma isn't either. “I’ve never been out of the country. I have no idea how I contracted it,” she says.
“She didn’t have any risk factors for this before surgery," Dr. Rasouli explains. "No recent history of travel. She doesn’t have interaction with somebody who travels a lot. It’s a mystery to us all. We’re still scratching our heads.”
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